Infantry Pit and Terracotta Warriors during the Qin Empire

Infantry Pit and Terracotta Warriors during the Qin Empire
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Infantry Pit, Qin dynasty, ca. 210 BCE.Earthenware, life-size.Warrior Pit 1, tomb complex of Qin Shihuangdi, Lintong, Shaanxi province. P. 139
In the infantry pit, thousands of terracotta army warriors guard the tomb of Qin Shihuangdi or Qin Shi Huang, and Shihuangdi is one of the most important rulers in the history of China. The 3rd century BC infantry pit shows soldiers who are motionless and silent and gives the impression that they can start to walk at anytime. Some of the soldiers have weapons, and they are placed in different positions within the infantry pit, which shows their different status and ranks. According to tradition when emperors were buried with their soldiers and servants who worked for them in their lifetime they still had the power to command them in the afterlife. The terracotta warriors protect their emperor in the pit and are one of the archaeological discoveries that provide clues on Chinese history during the Qin dynasty in imperial China.
Qin Shihuangdi, was the first emperor of China under unification of that country while also standardizing the language, currency, weights and measures as well as being responsible for the Great Wall of China project (Neave, Blanchard and Sardar 138). The site of the tomb was chosen because of its good geometry and is located in Lintong, Shaanxi province (Neave, Blanchard and Sardar 138). Besides the clay earthenware warriors, there were weapons, horses, and chariots in Qin Shihuangdi’s tomb. Emperor Qin Shihuangdi abolished the states and formed a strong central government, and instituted an efficient administration and bureaucratic state where the feudal aristocracy less powerful than before. Shihuangdi began the construction of the Great Wall protect China from attacks by barbarians as the Chinese were attacked by nomadic tribes and Huns and different tribes from the north. The underground infantry pit shows that the emperor was powerful and as such was worthy the protection.
The infantry pit and terracotta soldiers wearing loincloths show a distinctive aspect of the Qin dynasty where the emperor organized the warriors and exercised political control. The infantry pit found underground and the thousands of soldiers show that there was likely a large force of soldiers, who were crucial to keeping the state well protected and administered.In the Qin institutional system, appointed officials were in administrative positions and the emperor was intent on controlling the Qin State (Li et al, 128). In ancient China, there was a need to offer adequate protection against warring tribes and the sculptures reflect the belief that the soldiers would protect the emperor even in the afterlife.
There are approximately 7,000 terracotta soldiers, found at the infantry pit, and the sculptures of men unearthed highlight that the people having unified China probably revered the emperor. Each of these statues reproduces in detail from the various facial features, hairstyle, mustache, gestures and possibly ethnic attributes and some with their weapons.While the soldiersare modeled individually, the general impression is that theyare ready to protect the Qin emperor and China by extension. The history of China has gone through various changes over thousands of years and a Qin Shihuangdi instituted a centralized system that allowed him to bemore powerful than previous emperors. The art of sculpture making with emphasis on the life-sized sculptures was not common in ancient China, but Qin Shihuangdi likely cultivated the image of a capable ruler with the necessary manpower and military strength.
In the Warrior Pit 1, tomb complex of Qin Shihuangdi, Lintong, Shaanxi province, each soldier is approximately 1.8 meter –tall and made using the terracotta clay. The tomb is approximately 249-foot (76m) high mound and the tomb not only contains soldiers in different ranks, but also weapons, archers and horses (Heathrow). In the infantry pit, there is a pathway running along the walls and the soldiers stand side by side and the formation of the warriors show how the units were organized in ancient China. Most of the items in the pit were casting and engraving. Each soldier is approximately 1.8m-tall with armor or battledress and some holding different weapons and some have tailed caps. Knowledge of pottery and ceramic craft likely influenced the making of the statues and themineral amphibole was at times added to the statues and bronze items (Quinn et al 973). The inclusion of amphibole and water insoluble paint binder likely resulted in the artworks being well preserved in the underground...